Sunday, May 9, 2010

Day 344: The Corpse Vanishes (1942) - Rank 2/5

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Ah Bela, I'll give you an extra point for ranking because I love you so, but your choice of material...ugh... The premise of the film is a familiar one - a mad scientist, grief-stricken by his wife's unsightly appearance, decides to harvest what he needs from young, nubile, virginal nymphs. Permutations of this set-up include (but certainly aren't limited to) "The Awful Dr. Orlaf," "Eyes without a Face," "The Hand that Feeds the Dead" and..."The Dark Crystal"...yeah. Not a horrendous performance by Lugosi (clearly working as best he could with what he had), but when a 62 minute feature has me anxiously looking at my watch, it's not a good thing.

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Day 343: Following (1998) - Rank 4/5

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Before "The Dark Knight," "The Prestige" or even "Memento," Christopher Nolan churned out this delightful slice of neo-noir in grainy, black-and-white 16mmm film stock on the back alleys of London. It focuses on a down-and-out writer who is a "follower" - not to be confused with a stalker, for he changes his target every day - and is carrying out his peculiar habits in the hope that he will find much-needed inspiration. But when one of his marks both spots him, the man strangely welcomes the writer into his shady world of serial burglary. It's not long before the unnamed protagonist finds a load of charges, including murder, dropped in his lap as a result of the association. Nolan's characteristic, nonlinear storytelling is present, and with a great script and cast, it's no wonder that this project put him on the map and sent him on his way to bigger stuff.

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Saturday, May 8, 2010

Day 342: Le Cercle Rouge (1953) - Rank 5/5

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Over time, Jean-Pierre Melville has grown to be one of my favorite French directors. "Bob le flambeur," "Le Doulos," and "Le Samourai" all smack of brilliance. But, without a doubt, "Le Cercle Rouge" happens to be his best. I know this will come as a slap in the face to those diehards that hold "Le Samourai" atop a pedestal, and rightfully so, since it turns both film noir and French new wave on their heads (like "Le Samourai," this film has a dash of Asian influence). However, the tale of a motley trio - one man an ex-con who rips off the mob on his first day out of jail, the second, an escaped convict and the third, an alcoholic, disgraced detective - out to rob a jewel store is a masterpiece of storytelling. The heist that links the three is reminiscent of "Rififi" but it's not the crux of the tale. The interactions among the three men are complex and subdued, but never convoluted. Clearly Melville at the height of his game, and it's a damned shame the man passed away a mere two years after completing the story.

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Day 341: M. Hulot's Holiday (1953) - Rank 3.5/5

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The adventures of Monseuir Hulot have often been cited as the source for countless, social misfits in cinema - from Mr. Bean to Ernest P. Worrell. Writer/director/star Jacques Tati has also been credited as an innovator in the comedy field. This all in mind, I was a bit surprised at how little I found myself laughing aloud. I'd expected to be seized in a fit of apoplectic guffawing at least once in the film, but no dice. Instead, I found myself more fascinated at how the entire plot was one giant Rube Goldberg device, with not only the principal players, but every extra involved having some schtick that interacted with the larger tale. Again, the foibles of all involved were never slapstick nor witty (the film possessing very little spoken dialogue), but despite this, I did have a smile on my face the entire time. So to call the film one of the funniest movies ever made is a gross misjudgment, but to call it one of the most endearing films, I feel, would be quite apropos.

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Day 340: The Cars That Ate Paris (1974) - Rank 3/5

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After falling in love with "The Last Wave" and "Picnic at Hanging Rock" both, I became absolutely curious about Peter Weir's earlier work. The initial works of famous directors are always hit or miss, though films like "Hard Eight," "Pi," "Frankenweenie," "Following" and the like have given me newer appreciations for some of my favorite directs. Sadly, that's not really the case here. While "The Cars that Ate Paris" is fun for 1970's drive-in fare, it scarcely seems comparable with Weir's later work, serving as no indication that he could create the films he has. In addition, to watch the film objectively, it leaves me even more unmoved, for the story seems terribly conventional, if not contrived. The idea of a town that profits off of road accidents has humorous potential, but not for an entire film. In the end, it feels like the storyline was created just so the crew would have an excuse to drive cars into buildings. More akin to what I would picture for early Michael Bay, not Weir.

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Day 339: There Will Be Blood (2007) - Rank 5/5

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I won't lie - this wasn't my first time watching this film. No, not by such a long shot. Paul Thomas Anderson's masterpiece grows better for me every time, whereas I know that many of my cronies actually begin to see increasing imperfections in its storyline upon repeat viewing. To me, there's something positively fascinating about Daniel Day-Lewis' Daniel Plainview. In short, he's a crazy, selfish sociopath that you find yourself rooting for. Furthermore, the film could also be seen as an allegory (or criticism) of the proverbial "American dream" - that old mentality that any Joe can pull himself up by his bootstraps and become a success in this grand ole country of ours. Plainview does just that, but through diabolical and manipulative means. Milkshake lines or not, you still can't help but smile as he finally bests everyone whom he decides to have a vendetta against. Many questions remain about Plainview after the film, from his motivations to his ultimate outcome, but I'm only left with one query: how on Earth will Anderson top this?

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Day 338: Evangelion 1.0: You Are (Not) Alone (2008) - Rank 3.5/5

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I feel like it's hard to rate the film properly, for I'm unfamiliar with the "Neon Genesis: Evangelion" series. Throughout a great deal of the film, I felt as if I should be proclaiming "Bitchin'!" but I lacked the proper context to truly revel in the film's vivid, kinetic glory. Furthermore, this is a film that needs to be reviewed in reference to the original series and I cannot do that either. However, speaking as an objective viewer, who felt more like he was watching part 7 of an ongoing series when he was unfamiliar with the previous installments, I can say the film achieved one major thing of note. It got me intrigued about what I'd missed. There's just something about a series that features antagonists that are an amalgamation of machine, monster, man and myth that is so delightfully quintessential in Japanese animation culture. The "Angels" - creatures that challenge the plucky, young heroes of the tale - possess no set form or power. It varies from one incarnation to the next, not unlike Gozer. 'So,' you ask yourself, 'what you're saying is the series is like a Japanese Ghostbusters?' Um...no, but for simplicity's sake...let's say, yes.

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